Mattress support for foldable beds and the like



Feb. 9 1926. 1,572,241

c. D. MCDONALD MATTRESS SUPPORT FOR FOLDABLE BEDS AND THE LIKE .Filed oct. 26. 1922' IU VEN T012 Cbar/esD/VrDo/a/d Patented Feb. 9, 1926.

PATENT OFFICE- CHARLES D. MoDON-ALD, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

MATTRESS SUPPORT non FOLDABLE Bans Ann Tnn LIKE.

Application led October 26, 1922. Serial No. 597,095.

To all who-m it may conce/rn.:

Be it known that I, CHARLES D. MODON- ALD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented new and useful lmprovements in Mattress Supports for Foldable Beds and the like, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to mattress supports for foldable beds and the like, and has for an object to provide an extremely simple, practicable, substantial and yielding s upport for mattresses. Another object is to provide a mattress support that is adapted to be readily connected to a bed frame of any suitable character, and it is also an ob-` ject to provide a mattress support of flexible character and which is so constructed that one longitudinal side portion of the support may be depressed under a load without placing the remaining longitudinal portion. under flexure or tension.

Other objects and advantages will be made manifest in the following specification of the embodiment of the invention illustrated in the accompanying` drawings, wherein:

Figure l is a perspective of a foldable bed frame to which the improved mattress support is attached;

Figure 2 is a plan of the frame and the attached support, a side portion of the latter being illustrated as flexed under a load;

Figure 3 is a sectional detail ofthe mountings and the portion of the mattress support;

Figure is a cross section on the line 4;-'l of Figure 2, showing the constructio of the flexible support. Y

Fig. 5 is a section of Fig. 2 on the line 5-5.

Fig. 6 is a section of Fig. 2 on the line GHG.

rlhe mattress support of the present invention consists of a number of longitudinally extending straps 2 of any suitable materia-l, such, for instance, as woven hemp strips. One end of each of the straps is provided with a hem or bight 3, and through the bights 3 of a parallel series of the straps there is passed a substantial cross bar Ll which may be a strip of wood. Extending through the strip is a number of longitudinally spaced screws 5, the inner ends of which are provided with nuts 5d concealed within the bights 3 of the .straps 2. The screws 5 are adapted to be arranged in the end members 6 of a bed frame structure'including side rails 7 which in the present case are shown as foldably jointed as at hinges 8, although it is to be understood that the present mattress support may be combined with any suitable bed frame. y.

Each strip has also a smaller bight 3a at one. endfand through this extends a flexible rod 9, preferably of wire. The wire rod 9 is yieldingly connected to the lcontiguous end members 6a of the bed frame by a set of tension'springs 10, endsof which are `connected in screw eyes 11 extending inwardly from the inner face of the frame end (Se.v The opposite ends of each of the springs are provided with hooks l0', the ends of which are forced through the fabric of the. strips surrounding the rod.` In this manner, the tension of a load imposed'upon the straps is not imposed directly upon the spring hooks 10, but is transmitted directly to the wire rod 9 and this transfers the load Vto the spring hooks 10 and, therefore, the

hooks do not tend to pull out of or tear the fabric of the straps.

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As clearly shown in Figurell, the sever-al longitudinally extending straps are sewed at their end portions in overlapping posit-ion, the longitudinal edges not being secured together. vFor transversely connecting the straps to prevent undue separation under a load, a .suitable number of rtransverse fabric or other liexible ribbons 13 are stitched as at let, Fig. 5, to the straps. The

longitudinal edges of the straps, between the sewed overlapping ends, are free from each other.

The tension of the longitudinal straps 2, forming the mattress support, may be readily controlled by the screws 5 passing through the end bar G of the bed and having nuts 6 in the bights 3.

iVhen the support is att-ached to the frame by the springs l0 theends of the frame bow in under the tension. l preferably make the central straps of the series shorter than the outer straps with the result that when the support is mounted and tightened, the central straps are under the greatest tension. The tension of the straps causes them to trough up as is shown in Fig. 5.

WT hen a load is imposed upon one side of the support, the troughs are flattened out Without transferring any side pull to the other side Vof the support.

No'mattress is needed, or any kind may be used. The webbing is light, durable and cannot rust as metal supports do. u

One of the objects is to provide a mattress support that maybe rolled into a very Lsmall and compact bundle to facilitate storage and transportation and occupy but little space. As abovestated, the longitudinal lstraps 2 are )yerlapp'ed slightly marginally contiguous to vthe ends, but are not over a-pped medially of their length, and therefore when the straps are placed underftension they laterally crowd each other With the result that theyassume the trough-like formation clearly shown in Fig. 4l. This permits the mattress support to be loaded Without any Itendency of the straps laterally Julling on yeach other, since the greater Wicth of the intermediate portion of ythe straps as compared to their overlappingend portions, provides sufficient excess to permit vthe straps uto Iiiatten Without transverse tension( The load imposed on the'support does not tendV topull the straps out of ali'riement, or in any lWay aect the other portions of the support.

Further embodiments,l modifications and variations may be resorted to Within the spirit of the invention as claimed.

W'hat is claimed is:

l. A mattress support for a bed frame consisting .of vSet lo fpararllel longitudinally extending flexible straps, and means along the transverse ends .oflthehstraps for attaching the same to a bed frame, the longitudinal straps vbeing free from each other at their contiguous parallel edges, the said parallel edges slightly overlapping at the end portions and being Vlongitudinally stitched. i

2. mattress support for abed frame oonsisting of a set of parallel longitudinally extending flexible stra-ps, means along the transverse ends o f the stra-ps for latta hing the same. to a bed frame, the longitudinal straps being free fromeach other at their contiguous parallel edges, the said parallel edges slightly overlapping at the/end portions and being longitudinally stitched, and transverse ribbons located "bet-Ween the ends of the straps and loosely connecting .the straps together.

In testimony Whereofl have signed my name to this specification.

` (ll-IARLESl MGDONALD. 

